Our Process

Process Makes Perfect

At Atlas Pavers, we strive to exceed our customer’s expectations. The keys to customer satisfaction are knowledge, planning, communication and workmanship. Satisfying a customer requires commitment and hard work. Satisfying hundreds of customers every year to become the Bay Area’s number one paver installer requires following a detailed process which we have refined for over a decade.

Phase I: Planning

The most important part of building an exceptional outdoor living experience happens before the first shovel touches the dirt. Whether you’ve been working hard on your vision board or have just begun to imagine the possibilities, our team has the expertise to help you get the most out of your project.

Understand Your Vision

Our team is trained to help make your vision a reality by helping you choose the products and materials in the right mix of colors, styles, sizes and patterns for your home, your family and your lifestyle. We can help you plan the perfect water features, firepits, outdoor kitchens, or bench seats to fit your landscape— and transform your yard into your private oasis.

Engineering

It is easy to install pavers. Doing it right so you can follow local building codes and offer a lifetime warranty is harder. An installation that lasts a lifetime requires thinking through things you don’t see.

The primary goal of our site assessment is to gather the information required to get the engineering and mechanical elements right. This starts with reviewing local building codes for setbacks, material restrictions, and encroachment permits. We also review current and desired placement for water supplies, irrigation, lighting, electrical outlets, and natural gas.

The most important consideration for any hardscaping project is drainage. Poor drainage can cause a myriad of problems ranging from killing plants and rotting fences to flooding patios and sinking foundations. A poorly executed paver installation can hide existing problems and create new ones. Our team inspects the property for existing issues and carefully measures elevations so we can develop a drainage plan which moves water away from your house without creating a nuisance for your neighbors.

The Design

Every successful project includes a great design, one that combines your ideas for the perfect outdoor living environment with materials, colors and features that fit your home. Following your site visit, our team will develop a set of plan options designed around your vision and your budget.

The next step in the Atlas process is for the customer to visit one of our showrooms. Each paver manufacturer offers a variety of styles, different colors and finishes which can be combined to create a unique design for your home.

Sample boards are fine for seeing materials and renderings are a great envisioning tool but there is no substitute for walking around on a variety of materials and seeing the rich combination of available styles, colors and patterns. Our showrooms are designed to bring your options to life and help you finalize your vision.

The Agreement

Once you have decided on the plan, the materials, color, style, accessories, mechanicals, accessories and features, we combine it all into a plan which spells out everything including the price. Then we sign an agreement and the project can be put on the schedule.

Phase 2: Pre-Construction

Atlas will obtain building permits (if needed) and schedule the start date for construction. Once the permits are on hand and the materials are ordered, you will receive a welcome call from the office to review the schedule and be given contact information for your project manager as well as our owner.

1 week prior to start, Atlas will call 811 to get site utility clearance and open a group chat which includes you along with the project manager, the designer, our general manager and the owner. This chat is designed to assure that the entire Atlas team is immediately aware of any concerns you may have during the job.

Phase 3: Construction Begins

The Big Day arrives, your job is ready to begin and we start by collecting the first progress payment and posting the building permit (if necessary). Before we begin the demolition phase, the Atlas project manager, designer and crew foreman will walk through the job with you and make sure everyone is on the same page.

We strive for the smoothest, most professional and respectful work environment for a successful project. Opening communication with your neighbors helps minimize conflict. We will go door to door and communicate with neighbors about the upcoming job and provide them with our contact information in case they have any concerns.

Before a shovel hits the dirt, we start by protecting existing plants and irrigation and removing furniture and other obstacles from the work area. We also place a debris barrier adjacent to storm drains and bring a port-a-potty on site for our crew.

Ready, Set, DIG

At last, your project is shovel-ready. We can begin the process of preparing your site for your new pavers.

We remove existing hardscape, paving, concrete, plants, and other obstacles from the work area. We remove 6-10 inches of dirt and carefully grade the area. We dig trench as needed. We install electrical, gas, water supply and irrigation lines, as well as relocating existing systems when required. We build french drains and connect them to storm drains as needed.

Now for the fun part! Checking our work: here is where we make sure everything is going according to plan. Is your soil clay? silt? sandy? rocky? sandstone? The answer to this soil assessment determines the depth of the base layer and may dictate changes to our drainage plan.

Once the soil type is determined and questions answered, we will re-survey the site using a laser level to make sure all of the drainage systems flow correctly with adequate pitch. We test the mechanical systems before we install the base rock.

Install Base Rock

Next we will install 4 inches of Class 2, ¾ inch recycled road base (7 inches for driveways) and compress it with a vibrating plate soil compactor. After we test to 95% compaction, we add ½ inch #8 quarter by dust sand. And YAY, your site is now ready for pavers!

Phase 4: Installation: We Finally Get to the Pavers!

The materials are delivered to the job site. A new crew arrives to install the pavers. Your project manager checks in and collects Progress Payment #2.

The new Atlas crew begins by squaring off areas on the site to minimize cuts and marks starting points with a chalk line. They walk through and review your chosen design pattern, materials, colors, and style by placing sample areas on the site. You tell us you are happy! Then we can start the manual installation process in the designated areas. Once the majority of the pavers are in place, we delineate the final cuts and curved areas and review them with you. After you sign off, we make the final cuts (and a lot of noise and dust!).

Before We Lock It In

The work is almost done! The pavers look stunning. Your neighbors are SO jealous (and relieved). It’s spectacular! And that’s even BEFORE we clean up. It’s time for another walk through of the job with you, noting any punch-list items. Then we remove the excess materials (the extra/unused pavers, cement, sand, rock, tools, debris, etc.) and deconstruct our work area.

Lock It In

Once you are satisfied with the cuts, curves and other details, we secure the paver field by installing a concrete footing or bond beam around the perimeter of the job. Then we install polymeric sand within the chamfer of the pavers to set them in place.

Once the sand has hardened, we wash the pavers with clean water, a hose and broom, removing any remaining dust and sand. This is an iterative process.

When the pavers are dry, we sweep them again and then apply a sealer coat to protect against grease and chemicals.

We remove protection from landscaping, and all equipment and remaining leftover tools or building materials. Finally we will put back all your furniture, gates, planters, etc. and sweep one more time.

Our job is done and all that remains is to complete the final walk-through and collect the last payment.